Rene Dayan-Whitehead Studio
Stone Sculpture and Fused Glass

Musings: Art  - Design - Influences


This is the introduction to my blog. I have been considering writing a blog for a long time. It seemed to be a very large task, but also appealed to my wish to communicate thoughts and observations about travel, art, and the influence that these explorations have had on my work. So, I begin. The title of Musings is reflective of the thought process that precedes creative work. They are meditations that result in drawings, sculpture as well as glass works. There is much talk of having a muse who inspires creative concepts, but mostly the muse comes in the form of seeing something anew, a new landscape, a new idea, a new way of thinking. If there are goddesses propelling the creative process, I welcome them. Musings first take shape in drawings. The drawings mark the beginning of the creative process. I will find that in the drawing process the same idea or subject will appear. From these recurring concepts I will carve a maquet (model) to see if the idea holds up in three dimensions. Carving allows the refinement of the idea and shows me if it is something I want to realize in stone. So from musing to drawing to macquete and onward, muses indeed.

Let's Dance

Stone carving is the culmination of the passions of a lifetime. I have studied with two sculptors, and have traveled to Italy to study as well.  Many other classes have added to my understanding of art, assembly, finish, and led me to my own vision for sculpture.

Come with me, let us make the stones dance.

Fused Glass

Stone Sculpture has been my focus for many years.  Recently I have added Fused Glass work to my studio.  The fused glass work started with a science show on TV that described glass at a molecular level as always in a semi liquid state. This concept caught my imagination and I started to explore glass as a medium.
The concept is to present fused glass in its natural state, luminous, melting, organic, perhaps always on the move...

Petroglyphs to Brancusi

From the beginning of time people have found a way to express themselves, their world, their cosmology.  Stone was one of our first tools, materials for expression, worship, weapons and more.

Our response to stone is primal, prehistoric, we are drawn to it from a very deep place.  When people come to my studio, they cannot keep from touching the sculptures, there is something that draws them near.

The long tradition of carving, hewing, polishing stone lives within us as a historic and contemporary material.  Carving stone connects me on this continuum throughout time. 

 Sculpted Acrylic Wall Hangings

Sculpture Stone has been my focus for many years.  Most recently I have added Molded Acrylic Sculpture for the Wall to my studio.  

This technique and vision came from my fascination with the Web Telescope email feed which shows up every couple of days with the most extraordinary photos.  And most recently the Aurora Borealis that appeared in California skies. 

The work is a combination of cutting, shaping with heat, airbrush, and application of mica to the surface. This makes an iridescent, colorful and translucent surface that is light and so hangs on the wall easily.  

Using Format